Blenkinsopp Castle (spelled Blenkinsop in many records) is a fire-damaged, partly demolished 19th-century country mansion, incorporating the ruinous remains of a 14th-century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

, which is located above the Tipalt Burn approximately one mile south of Greenhead,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

; it is also a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

as one of the "surviving tower houses retaining significant medieval remains".

Etymology

''Blenkinsopp'' seems to originate in the early medieval

Cumbric Cumbric was a variety of the Common Brittonic language spoken during the Early Middle Ages in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" in what is now the counties of Westmorland, Cumberland and northern Lancashire in Northern England and the souther ...

language, probably as ''blaen'' 'top' + ''kein'' 'back, ridge' (thus 'top of the ridge'). To this was later added the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

element ''hōp'' 'valley'.

History

The ancient manor of Blenkinsopp was held by the eponymous Blenkinsopp family from the 13th century, and they created a substantial

. Some records indicate that it was built in 1339. A licence to

crenellate A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

the house was granted on 6 May 1340. It was being fortified to help protect the border. County records from the reign of Henry III (1207–1272) state that the land where the castle would later be built was owned by Ralph Blenkinsop during that era; there was no indication of any buildings on the site at that time. An early account by Wallis, writing prior to 1769 and quoted by Rev. J. F. Hodgson, found:

the west and north-west side of it protected by a very high cespititious wall and a deep foss – a vault going through it, north and south, 33 feet in length, and in breadth 18½ feet: two lesser ones on the north side. The facing on the western wall has been down beyond the memory of any person yet living.

A survey of 1541 reported the roof to be in decay and the tower not to be in good repair. The family, whilst retaining ownership, granted possession to the

Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...

, and abandoned the castle for their other nearby properties to the east at

Bellister Castle Bellister Castle is a National Trust owned castellated 19th-century mansion house attached to the ruinous remains of a 14th-century tower house, near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed ...

and Blenkinsop Hall. In 1727, the heiress Jane Blenkinsopp married William Coulson of

Jesmond Jesmond is a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, situated to the east of the Town Moor. Jesmond is considered to be one of the most affluent suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne, with higher average house prices than most other areas of the city. H ...

. By 1832, the property was in disuse, and a mine agent's house was built adjoining the ruinous structure, probably by the architect John Dobson. Between 1877 and 1880,

William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson (3 July 1840 – 1 June 1911) was an English army officer and campaigner for animal welfare. He was a notable supporter of the Humanitarian League. After his death, he was memorialised by a statue in Newcastle ...

arranged for the castle to be renovated to a Victorian style. Shortly after these works, the Coulsons sold all their Blenkinsopp estates to Edward Joicey. The historic listing summary provides some additional specifics about the property:

"House incorporating fragments of a medieval tower house. Licence to crenellate 1340; colliery agent's house added c.1832 (possibly by John Dobson); enlarged and largely rebuilt in Tudor style 1877-80 for William Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson. First floor of 1880 entrance block removed in 1986. Dressed and squared stone incorporating some Roman material; roofs and chimneys of occupied west and north ranges are not visible; entrance block and agent's house now roofless ruins. Square-plan entrance block with agent's house set back on east and L-plan north range and house, with wall enclosing small yard, on west. Tudor style c.1880 details."

Edward Joicey purchased all the Blenkinsop estates in July 1875 and arranged for a restoration. In the 20th century, the castle served as a hotel, but major damage was caused in 1954 by a fire, and large parts of the property were demolished on the grounds of safety. In recent years, it has been part home and part

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

. In 2015, the property was listed for sale by Mike Simpson, whose family had purchased it in 1955. The estate listing stated that "one wing survived and now houses the family home, which sits within a larger residential park - also containing luxury chalets and Blenkinsopp Castle Inn.". During the Simpson family's ownership, some renovations and restoration were completed, most recently in 2012 with some financial assistance from

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

. News items at the time reiterated folk lore indicating that the castle was haunted by the "White Lady", said to be "the widow of Bryan de Blenkinsopp because he left her when she refused to tell him where she had buried her treasure chest". As of August 2020, the Inn, with rooms to let as well as a bistro and bar, was still operating in a separate section, not connected to the section that was a family home; the area containing the Inn had been the castle's coach stable.Blenkinsopp Castle Country Inn & Bistro
/ref>

Notes

References

* *Ryder, P. F., ''Blenkinsop Castle'', Napper Collerton Partnership, May 1986 * Hodgson, John, ''A History of Northumberland'', Part 2, Volume 3, (1840), pp. 129–132 *Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980.
Structures in the North East

External links

{{Castles in North East England Castles in Northumberland Tourist attractions in Northumberland Grade II listed buildings in Northumberland Country houses in Northumberland Scheduled monuments in Northumberland Ruins in Northumberland